The Xero Press

Xero Shoes founders Steven Sashen and Lena Phoenix were recently featured on the immensely popular NPR podcast and radio show How I Build This, hosted by Guy Raz. How I Built This dives deep into the origin stories of iconic brands, sharing how visionary entrepreneurs weather the trials and failures on the road to success. Six years and just over 500 episodes in, it’s a top-five business podcast on Apple, and number 14 among business podcasts on Spotify. So yes, this is right up there with the time Steven and Lena appeared on Shark Tank. The interview lasts nearly 90 minutes, and covered a wide range of personal, professional, and philosophical topics. Even if you think you know the Xero Shoes story, you’re going to learn something new.  A few revelations from the interview include… Steven’s jobs have included:  Standup comedian - he even opened for Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld Designer of screenwriting software Cable TV host for a show about diagnosing computer problems  Real estate investor SEO and website builder Lena moved to Boulder, Colorado, to study dance at a Tibetan Buddhist university Lena’s engagement ring from Steven came out of a gumball machine and cost 50 cents Steven was inspired to “go barefoot” by running 5k without shoes around Boulder One reason the couple began making barefoot sandals was to keep Steven’s bare feet from staining a white carpet The original name of Xero Shoes was Invisible Shoes Steven and Lena only sold DIY sandal kits for the first 4 years of the business The original Xero Shoes “customer service department” was a dining room table Xero Shoes’ original foot-shaped shoe designs were based on a composite of foot tracings from hundreds of customers  Get the full story by listening to How I Built This. APPLE SPOTIFY AMAZON WONDERY

So many of us were inspired by Christopher McDougall‘s book, “Born to Run.” In fact, it sparked the barefoot, natural running movement. We’ve always been a big fan of Chris’, and it turns out, he’s a big fan of ours, sharing several social media posts about wearing Xero Shoes. We're working with Chris and Eric to promote BTR2 and help people discover how to run joyfully!August 29th, Chris and his co-author and coach, Eric Orton, set off to promote the sequel, Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide.They're stopping in multiple cities across the US, joining local running groups to teach free running form clinics, using tips from the new book.Before their first stop in Harlem, NYC, Chris and his wife Mika joined Good Day New York to share of the best running form drills.Check Out Tour Dates in NYC for Christopher McDougall's Born to Run 2 Tour "We get conditioned to buy shoes with cushion for fashion, but we forget that our feet are designed to run naturally. Just get all that obstruction out of your way, and let your feet respond. These shoes are specifically designed to feel the ground. They're called Xero Shoes, and they're as close to zero as you can get." Check out the cities that Chris and Eric are visiting: Full details on his Born to Run 2 Tour

Check out the Zelen, Xero Shoes' "sustainable" shoe mentioned in USA Today's "YES! Weekly Shopper"